Blue Moon, Crimson Sky
by guubear
Summary: [Mai Otome AU] A love story between a princess and a beast. Sets in a medieval fantasy world where magic and mythical creatures exist. ShizNat.
1. Duran Shoukan

**Blue Moon, Crimson Sky**

**By Guubear**

Disclaimer: I don't own Mai HiME/Mai-Otome.

* * *

Chapter 1: Duran Shoukan

It was the first time Shizuru Viola had ever been glared at by such cold, hate-filled eyes.

It was also the first time she had ever been attacked by someone, some_thing_, with such frightening eyes.

It happened when she went out of Windbloom Palace for a stroll on the evening of her tenth birthday. Naturally, she was escorted by a dozen guards for she had a very protective father who also happened to be the King of Windbloom. She had begged for her father to let her out of the castle so many times, and she finally had her wish granted as her birthday present.

Maybe her father was right. She shouldn't have left the safety of the Palace.

She thought she was going to die when the monster knocked her over and snapped at her neck.

Shizuru did not die. She did not even have a scratch on her.

"Protect the Princess!" Before Shizuru could figure out what was going on, the monster had leapt away from her. Scared, but at the same time deathly curious, she sat up from the snow-covered ground to observe the battle between the monster and her guards.

As it turned out, the thing that had attacked her was not a monster at all. It was the biggest and most beautiful wolf she had ever seen.

Suddenly feeling very cold, Shizuru stood up from the frozen ground and realized her cape was gone. The fur cape was a present the lord of a neighbouring country had given her for her birthday. They said it was worth more than the same weight of diamond for it was made from a rare magical beast speculated to be extinct.

Shizuru finally understood. The wolf was not trying to attack her; it was trying to take the cape back.

"Stop! Don't hurt it!" Shizuru shouted. But the guards could not obey her unreasonable command for they were ordered by the King to eliminate all threats to the Princess.

"Stop!" Shizuru screamed again and ran toward the centre of the battle. She was too late. Before she could do anything, two spears had run through the wolf's body and nailed it to the ground. The wolf's painful yelp made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up on ends.

"Please stay back, the beast is not dead yet." The leader of the guard tried to stop Shizuru from getting near the wounded wolf.

Shizuru had never been more furious in her life.

"I told you to stop! How dare you disobey me!" Shizuru swatted away the guard's hand and strode toward the wolf.

Although bleeding profusely, the wounded animal refused to let go of the cape between its jaws. Its icy green eyes had lost the sharpness Shizuru first saw in them, but to her, they were still as beautiful as ever. "I'm so sorry." Shizuru carefully laid a hand on its furry head and stroke it. "You were only trying to get the cape back, weren't you? You poor thing. I won't let anyone hurt you again." Turning toward the baffled guards, Shizuru ordered in a stern voice: "Fetch me a doctor. Hurry up!"

* * *

The wolf's injuries were grave, but its stunning vitality kept it alive. The King only allowed his stubborn daughter to keep the beast in the Palace on the condition that it was to be locked in a cage at all time. Hating the idea of robbing the magnificent creature its freedom, Shizuru still agreed to the condition because she knew the wolf would most likely die of infection if it were not properly cared for.

"… So you see, I can't let you out yet. Please understand," Shizuru said to the wolf lying in the cage. The animal didn't seem to have heard anything Shizuru said. All it did was lie on top of the fur cape with tears silently streaming down its face.

"Are you in pain? I'm so sorry. I tried to stop them, but they wouldn't listen." Shizuru sighed and stuck her hand into the cage to stroke the wolf's head. Its smooth, dark blue fur felt incredibly soft in her hand. "They told me they've given you drugs for the pain. Is it not working?" Shizuru paused for a second and chuckled: "How silly of me. I forgot you don't speak."

The wolf stared back at the young princess with unblinking eyes. Shizuru had the strangest notion that the animal somehow understood everything she said.

"Let's see, what should I call you? Do you have a name already?" Shizuru asked, but the wolf only stared back. After a few moments of contemplation, an idea struck her. "How about 'Duran'? It's the name of the Wolf God in the ancient HiME legend. Can I call you Duran?"

Of course the wolf did not answer her.

* * *

Before long, Princess Shizuru had grown attached to the giant wolf she rescued from the guards. Being the only child and sole heir of the Windbloom Kingdom, Shizuru rarely had a chance to make friends. She only got to see other kids her age when her distant relatives from faraway countries visited the King on special occasions.

On the surface, Shizuru might be a princess who had everything anyone could ever ask for, but in truth, she was only a very lonely child.

"Duran, you've gotten thinner again. Why won't you eat?" Shizuru petted the wolf's head affectionately and chided it with a concerned frown on her face. The animal seemed to have lost its will to live despite the swift recovery of its physical wounds. It had stopped crying for some time now, but instead it spent all its day curling up on the cape and staring into nothingness. "Please be a good girl and eat your food. You must be starving." Shizuru said and pushed the bowl of chef-prepared gourmet beef stew closer to its nose.

The wolf did not move an inch. If not for the slow raising and falling of its chest, Shizuru would have thought it to be dead.

The thought of losing her only friend was unbearable. Shizuru fought back her tears and tried again. "Please? It's really tasty. See?" She took a small piece of meat from the bowl and put it into her own mouth.

Much to Shizuru's delight, the catatonic wolf slowly rose up to its feet and finally started feeding for the first time in a whole week. Shizuru was exhilarated. "Good girl," she cooed and stroked the wolf's back. The animal didn't seem to mind being touched during its meal. It only looked up from its bowl for a second and continued wolfing down every last piece of food.

Shizuru's good mood did not last long. For the very next morning she went to see her canine friend, all she found was an empty cage.

The lock on the cage was never damaged.

* * *

**Eight Years Later:**

Windbloom City was the capital of the Kingdom of Windbloom as well as one of the most important economical centres in the Central Continent. However, the densely populated city was even more crowded today than usual for it was Princess Shizuru's eighteenth birthday. People from all over the world were visiting just for a chance to witness the Princess' coronation with their own eyes. The day was made even more special since it was common knowledge that Princess Shizuru would officially announce her engagement with the Grand Duke of Artai tonight after the ceremony.

No one expected an ambush on such a festive day.

"Yo, Princess. Or should I say, former Princess. Why are you so surprised to see me? I thought I was invited to the party," Nagi Dai Artai greeted with a lopsided smirk on his face.

It was quite easy, really. Security at the City Gates had been less than perfect because of the increased amount of traffic. Besides, no one dared question the Princess's future fiancé's request for extra personal escort. Taking the Palace from the inside was practically effortless. It took him less than an hour to seal the Palace and cornered the only living Viola in the Thorn Room.

Though boiling with rage, Shizuru maintained her calm demeanour and coldly glared at the hateful midget of a man. "Honour means nothing to you, it seems. What happened to the treaty? It clearly stated that with our future 'marriage'," Shizuru stressed with venom in her voice. "You should gain the right to co-rule Windbloom. Is a coup d'état really necessary?" Surrounded by about three dozens of Nagi's armed force, Shizuru felt no fear, only disgust and hatred toward the traitor.

"Ah, about that…" Nagi grinned even wider at Shizuru's accusation. "The engagement is by no means void. I am still marrying the Princess of Windbloom one year after her coronation. Oh, I mean your younger sister's, Princess Mashiro's, that is."

Shizuru's crimson eyes widened in disbelieve. "My sister is DEAD!" She hissed, her hands balled tightly into fists. "My mother and sister both perished during childbirth twelve years ago. I was there!"

"Of course, of course." Nagi nodded with mock acknowledgement. "One could certainly interpret it that way. But if I were to say the poor, young Princess was only 'confined' inside the Palace against her will because she had a frail body and a very jealous older sister," the Grand Duke of Artai sneered, "how many people do you think would believe this version of the story?"

_It doesn't matter._ Shizuru thought darkly. _Even though there are so many holes in that lie, no one would care. _

Artai had more than ten times the military power than Windbloom did. If Nagi wanted, he could have taken Windbloom by force. The only thing stopping Nagi from doing just that was the peace treaty established generations ago. Apparently, ruling over Windbloom while having Shizuru co-signing every document was not enough for the power hungry Grand Duke. He wanted ALL of Windbloom, not just the half of it. The manipulative man intended to bypass the peace treaty by setting up a false Princess as his puppet. Shizuru hated to admit it, but Nagi's scheme had worked. He had won.

"Don't kill any more people in the Palace. You don't want the World Council to prosecute you for treason and armed invasion," Shizuru said placidly. She did not wish to see more bloodshed.

"Don't worry." Nagi raised his right hand. Rows of archers beside him took aim at the Princess, waiting for the signal to release their arrows. "I'm smarter than that," he said. With a twisted smile plastered on his pale face, he swung down her hand.

No one hit the mark.

A bear-sized giant of a wolf crashed through the window and landed in front of Shizuru. With a deafening roar, all the arrows aiming for the Princess were blown away by the blizzard blasting out of its mouth.

"Forget the beast, kill the girl first!" Nagi shouted.

More soldiers swarmed in the Throne Room at the Grand Duke's command. The wolf clawed through scores of Nagi's best fighters like they were nothing more than ants. Not wasting anymore time, the wolf nipped on the Princess's waist and tossed her on its back.

"_Don't let go."_

Shizuru didn't have time to think about the gentle voice telepathically transmitted into her head. The second she tightly latched herself on the giant wolf's back, it jumped through the window with great speed.

"What are you waiting for? Kill her!" Nagi demanded with a shriek.

The wolf roared in the direction of the arrows flying toward them again. However, this time it failed to blow away all the arrows. Shizuru muffled a cry with her face buried in the wolf's soft fur when an arrow struck her on the left side of her waist.

"_How dare you!"_

Shizuru heard the voice in her head again. It was the same voice as before, but it was not gentle at all. It was murderous. Suffering from pain and blood loss, Shizuru felt her consciousness slowly slipping away. _Can't let go, s_he thought faintly, but her hands refused to listen to her. Just when she fell off the wolf's back, she was caught again by a pair of naked arms.

_They have the same eyes._

That was the last thought that went through Shizuru's mind before everything went black.

TBC

* * *

Author's Notes:

1. Plot bunny strikes again! This story is a Mai-Otome AU, setting in a medieval fantasy world where magic and mythical beasts exist. I'll refrain from making this a very long story (I hope).

2. "Duran Shoukan" (デュラン召還) is the title of Duran's theme song (aka the cool background music you hear every time Natsuki summons Duran). Please read and review.

3. Thanks, Dr. Leebot. You're an awesome beta.


	2. First Impression

Chapter 2: First Impression

Shizuru wanted to open her eyes, but she couldn't. Her body felt dead. Trapped in the infinite darkness, the only thing convincing her that she was alive was the gentle warmth wrapped around her shoulders. _The dead do not feel... Am I really alive?_

"Do something about it!" s harsh voice demanded. It was the same voice that was in her head before.

"I am doing everything I can," an unknown woman's voice replied.

"Well, do better!" the first voice almost screamed. Shizuru wondered what they were arguing about.

"It's easy for you to say." The unknown woman sighed. "The arrow was cursed. Even if I try to heal her with the best healing magic I know, she still needs to fight off the curse on her own. That's something I can't help her with. It's time for you to give up, Natsuki."

The first voice, the one called 'Natsuki', was trembling with anger now. Shizuru could feel the arms around her shoulders tighten so much it actually hurt. "Lift the curse for her then. You can do at least that much. I know you can."

"No I can't, you damn mutt. I'm a healer, not a priestess. There's nothing I can do. Accept it. The girl won't live through the curse. She has no magical power whatsoever."

_So I am going to die._ The prospect of dying did not scare Shizuru. She had already lost everything, losing her life on top of everything else seemed trivial now. _I wonder if I'll see my family again on the other side…_

"I won't accept it!" Natsuki snapped back. "There must be something…" Shizuru felt a hand stroking her face as the owner of the gentle hand declared firmly, "I won't let her die. I'll link her."

"You'll WHAT?!" The unknown woman shrieked.

"I said I'll link her." The harsh voice turned so soft, it was barely louder than a whisper. "She'll have more than enough magic if I do that."

"You can't be serious. She is HUMAN!" The second voice continued to scream.

"I've made up my mind. You know you don't have a say in this."

The unknown woman paused for a long time and finally let out a defeated sigh. "Fine. Do as you like." Shizuru heard the woman walking away for a few steps but briskly walk back. "I almost forgot. Here, make her drink this. It'll help her sleep better. And," the woman snorted and said with her voice filled with bitter sarcasm, "congratulations."

_Congratulations… On what?_

Shizuru never had the chance to find out. The next thing she was aware of was the sensation of a slight pressure on her lips and the taste of sweetness filling her mouth. Struggling weakly against the intrusion at first, Shizuru quickly gave up as she felt the same gentle hand stroking her face again.

_So warm…_

* * *

"She's smiling…" Natsuki watched Shizuru's pale face with great relief. The girl's slow and rhythmic breathing told her she was finally having a peaceful sleep.

It was by pure luck Natsuki was able to save Shizuru from Nagi's traitorous scheme. Ever since she had gotten her mother's remains back from the kind Princess, she would steal back to the Palace once every few months just to take a quick glimpse of the girl's face. At first she did so out of curiosity. All her life she had hated all humans with a passion since her mother was murdered by human hands. However, her encounter with the odd girl had planted a seed of doubt in her mind. Maybe the human race was not the epitome of all evil like she previously thought. If it were, then why was Shizuru a human too?

So the wolf went back to see the Princess again. Much to Natsuki's surprise, she saw the empty cage still sitting at the same spot in the flower garden months after her escape. Months turned to years, but the cage was never removed even though it stood out in the garden like a sore thumb.

"Of course she would be smiling. I thought I told you to make her drink the potion, not shove your tongue down her throat," a redheaded young girl said dryly. She was the most talented healer Natsuki ever knew and also the one who had been casting healing spells on Shizuru non-stop for the past two hours.

"Shut up, Nao," Natsuki growled as pink blushes erupted on her cheeks at the redhead's comment. "She's unconscious. How else could I make her drink?"

"Whatever you say, boss." Nao waved dismissively and yawned. "I'm beat. That's one nasty curse she got. Do you have any idea how much mana I used just to contain the curse? Your precious Princess would be rotting inside out and turning into a sac of oozing pus if not for me. You owe me big time."

"Thanks."

The redhead quirked an eyebrow upon hearing the expressed gratitude from the wolf-girl. "How rare… But now it's not the time for small talk. You can thank me later. The seal I made to contain the curse will fall apart soon. If you haven't changed your mind about linking this human girl, I suggest you start the ritual right away."

* * *

Shizuru woke with a start. Panting heavily, she brushed away the damp hair plastered on her sweat-drenched face with a trembling hand. Her heart was thumping violently in her chest, threatening to burst or perhaps stop all together. The dream that frightened her so had faded into nothing more than a few distorted images she couldn't make anything out of. All she could remember from her nightmare was an intense feeling of hatred mixed with helplessness.

And then she remembered _that_.

Bolting upright from the immense bed she had been sleeping on, Shizuru scanned the sparsely furnished room with alarmed eyes before putting her hand on the left side of her waist, where a deep penetrating wound made by a stray arrow was supposed to be. Curiously, she felt no pain at all.

_How long have I been sleeping?_ Shizuru studied the blue cotton robe she had been changed into and fought hard to suppress the dreadful feeling of blind panic stirring in the pit of her stomach. _Just what in the world has happened to me…_

"Natsuki."

Shizuru whispered. That was the only thing she picked out in her disjointed memory. Although she had no trouble recalling every last detail up to the point where she got shot in the guts, she had no inkling as to what happened afterward.

Taking in a deep, shaky breath to calm her nerves, Shizuru began to examine her surroundings again. The room, more accurately, a cave artificially carved into the heart of a mountain, was about the same size as the auditorium inside Windbloom Palace. There was no window anywhere, but the room was not dark at all. A huge ball of soft light was floating near the dome-shaped ceiling of the cave, keeping the place bright and warm. Other than the wood-framed bed she was sitting on, the only furniture in the room was a sturdy-looking wooden table and a broad cushioned chair.

As she surveyed the room, her eyes stopped at a strange red symbol that looked like a red tadpole drawn on the otherwise blank walls. Shizuru walked bare-footed across the cold stone floor and curiously traced the pattern with her hand. Soundlessly, the stone wall seemingly melted away from where her hand touched the symbol, revealing a perfect circular opening big enough for a four-horse carriage to go through. Jumping back a step in shock, Shizuru quickly collected herself and walked out of the cave without hesitation.

The moon was already high up in the dark blue sky. Having been unconscious for so long, the Princess had already lost all sense of time. Looking around carefully, she saw nothing but enormous old-growth trees. Without a proper guide, she knew she could never find a way out of this forest on her own.

"You shouldn't come out."

Startled, Shizuru turned toward the achingly familiar voice and found herself staring into the most brilliant jade eyes that reminded her so much of…

"Duran!" Shizuru gasped, but she quickly composed herself when she took a better look at the owner of those beautiful eyes. The young girl did have dark blue hair and green eyes, but she was most certainly not a giant wolf. Shizuru didn't understand how she could possibly mistake one for the other. "Sorry about that. I thought you were someone else." Slightly disappointed, Shizuru apologized with a polite bow.

The girl didn't seem to be offended by it. "Go back inside," she said with a commanding tone.

Shizuru blinked at the stoic raven-haired girl. "Am I your prisoner?" she asked softly.

The Princess' blunt question earned her an unfriendly glare.

"No," the girl replied, a hint of annoyance flashing over her icy green eyes. Lips thinned to a strict line, she took off the blue jacket she was wearing and tossed it to Shizuru, who barely caught it with both hands.

"Do you want me to hold it for you?" Shizuru asked with her head slightly tilted. Her innocent question seemed to have further annoyed the raven-haired girl for she was now grumbling something intelligible under her breath. Red eyes widened in alarm, Shizuru inched backward as the grumpy girl strode toward her and snatched the blue jacket back from her hands and not so gently draped it over the Princess' shoulders.

"Don't you take if off," the ill-tempered girl warned. Her piercing eyes narrowed dangerously when she saw the Princess' bare feet, which had turned raw from standing ankle deep in snow. Letting out a frustrated growl, she shot the puzzled Princess a dirty look before throwing the noble on her shoulder like a sac of potatoes.

Shizuru squeaked.

"Whoa… LET ME DOWN!" the Princess demanded while flailing her arms around, hitting the rude girl's back repeatedly with her fists. "I order you to let me down this instant! You brute!"

Turning a deaf ear at Shizuru's protests, the raven-haired girl marched on with the Princess kicking and screaming the whole time.

* * *

The inhabitants of Garderobe had never seen anything like this. Their great leader, Natsuki Kruger, nicknamed "Duran" after the mighty Silver Wolf, just waltzed in the mess hall with a squirming human girl on her shoulder.

"Put me down! Where are you taking me?" Shizuru had never been treated with such disrespect before. Face flushed from a combination of anger, humiliation, and the fact that she was being hauled around upside down on someone's shoulder, the Princess was starting to get really irritated by her captor. "Release me now!"

Her wish was promptly granted. With a surprised yelp, Shizuru was dropped on a soft daybed in a corner of the mess hall.

"Stay," the leader of Garderobe ordered and briskly walked away.

Shizuru was trembling with fury. How dare that girl treat her like a piece of log! Like hell she would obey that savage's command like a lap dog.

Unfortunately, before she could get up from the bed, she was surrounded by a bunch of girls who were all gawking at her with curious eyes.

"Are we going to eat that?" a girl with spiky jet-black hair and twinkling golden eyes pointed at her with a finger and asked with drool overflowing from her mouth. Shizuru wasn't sure if the girl was serious or not.

"No, Mikoto. She's not edible. Human tastes gross. Besides," said a redhead with a half smirk on her face. "She is someone else's prey. See that GEM on her ear? Boss already linked her."

_What prey? What GEM? What link?_ Shizuru quickly put both her hands up to her ears and felt a foreign object firmly attached to her left earlobe. _Is this an earring?_

The redhead's comment made the whole mass hall erupt into a heated debate about whether their great leader would really link with a human girl or not. Shizuru couldn't quite figure out what was going on, but she knew it had something to do with that raven-haired barbarian.

"Be quiet. What's with the commotion?" A low voice boomed through the room, effectively silencing the crowd. Shizuru stared with her eyes wide in wonder as a grey wolf strolled across the room and stopped in front of her, scrutinizing her with a pair of piercing green eyes.

"Human, where did you get that GEM?" the grey wolf asked. Shizuru didn't see its mouth move, but somehow she could understand what it said. It was a different experience from receiving a telepathic message; it was more like she had miraculously mastered animal speech over night.

"Do you mean this?" Shizuru touched the earring on her ear. "I only just noticed it was there."

"Boss put it on her herself last night. I witnessed the entire ritual from beginning to end," the redhead put her hand up and reported to the grey wolf. "There's no mistake, Miss Maria. They are linked."

The redhead's explanation seemed to have satisfied the grey wolf, but not the Princess. "Excuse me. What is the 'link' you keep talking about? And what is this GEM for?"

Her question put an incredulous look on everyone's faces.

Before anyone could answer the Princess' questions, Natsuki had come back into the mess hall with an oak chest big enough to fit herself in. She looked displeased when she saw so many people crowding around where Shizuru sat. Most of them scattered when they saw their leader entering the room, but the grey wolf and the redhead stayed where they were.

Natsuki put the chest down next to the daybed before giving the grey wolf a curt nod. The beast nodded back and left, but the redhead had no intention of leaving.

"Hi, boss. Wha'cha got there?" the redhead asked.

The leader of Garderobe didn't answer. Instead, she opened the chest and emptied its contents onto the bed. It was shoes and clothes of various styles.

Shizuru finally understood.

Chuckling lightly behind a raised hand, Shizuru gazed at Natsuki's solemn face and mused, "I see. I'm sorry I called you a brute. You only wanted to keep me warm. What a sweet girl."

To Shizuru's amazement, her praise made the raven-haired girl blush so much, her whole face turned red. The look on Natsuki's face must have been a rare sight since the redhead was now cackling madly while thrashing around on the floor.

It was at that moment, Shizuru decided that the blushing girl might just be the most adorable creature she had ever laid her eyes upon.

TBC

* * *

Author's Notes:

1. Here comes Natsuki, our beloved tsunderekko. :D

2. Thanks for reading this. Now please review if you feel like it.

3. Thanks, Dr. Leebot. You're awesome as always.


	3. Paladin of Suzushiro

Chapter 3: Paladin of Suzushiro

Shizuru had so many questions she wanted answered, she wasn't sure where to start. Where was she? Who were they? Why was she rescued? What had happened after she passed out from her injury? And most importantly, what was the "linking" they spoke of? However, before she could ask any of them, the raven-haired girl spoke first.

"Eat." Natsuki said simply, as if giving the princess a direct order.

Shizuru tilted her head slightly to give the still-blushing girl a quizzical look. Natsuki pointed at the bowl of soup sitting on top of a small table next to the daybed. "Food." she said, and picked the bowl up to take a small sip herself before passing it to Shizuru's hands. "See? Not poisoned."

"Ookini." Shizuru thanked her and smiled brightly at the raven-haired girl. "I trust you wouldn't do that, um, how may I address you?"

"Natsuki Kruger."

"Ookini, Miss Kruger."

"Just Natsuki is fine," Natsuki said with a tone of finality. "Now eat. You've been sleeping for three days. You must be starving."

Shizuru knew she had been passed out for a while, but she didn't think it would have been three days already. _It's not too late. I still have a chance to stop Nagi, however slim the chance may be._ "Thank you very much for everything you've done for me. I am forever in your debt; however, I must go back as soon as possible. May I trouble you to guide me back to Windbloom?"

"You are either very stupid or suicidal. Maybe both," Nao said when she finally recovered from her giggle fit. She sat down next to the princess and poked at her cheek with a finger, ignoring the cold glare from her boss. "Do you have any idea what situation you're in, princess? You got shot in the gut in your own castle! Don't be so eager to rush to your own death. There's a hefty bounty on your head now."

Natsuki swatted away Nao's hand and added, "Apparently, you were kidnapped by a rebel group 'Aries' right before the coronation. The Grand Duke of Artai put up five thousand gold coins to whoever finds you. Dead or alive."

_Something is not right_, Shizuru thought to herself. _Nagi clearly wanted me dead when he took over the castle. Why would he put a bounty on my head now? Wouldn't it be easier for him to claim that I have died from a sudden illness and then instruct his men to kill me on sight? There are more to Nagi's schemes than just killing me and taking over Windbloom..._

Natsuki continued, interrupting Shizuru's thoughts, "If you value your life, forget about Windbloom. There's nothing you can do."

"No." Shizuru shook her head slowly. "As the Princess of Windbloom, I have the obligation to my people. I can never abandon them. Besides, there is something I can do."

Nao scoffed. "What can you do? You are but one helpless human. Do you intend to throw your life away fighting Nagi's army all by yourself? Aha! Here's the proof: you're both stupid and suicidal. I was right."

"Shut up, Nao," Natsuki ordered flatly. The redhead pouted. "What are you planning to do?" the level-headed leader of Garderobe asked the princess.

Shizuru weighed her options for a minute and answered, "The most plausible way to stop Nagi would be exposing his scheme to the World Council. The Council won't let him get away with high treason and armed invasion. And to do so, I'll need to get in contact with someone in the Council and who is not in league with Nagi." The princess smiled confidently at Natsuki, who was looking at her with an unreadable expression, "Anh Lu, the Wise Queen of Annam."

* * *

Letting the princess escape had proved to be the biggest mistake Nagi had ever made. Years of preparations would be for naught if Shizuru died in the middle of nowhere. He needed her _corpse_! It would be great if he could find the princess alive and kicking, but a fresh corpse would do just fine.

The Grand Duke stood in front of the massive stone gate hidden in an underground cavern below Windbloom Castle, his coral pink eyes fixed on the sinister-looking eight-headed serpent relief carved on the gate. The Guardian of the Gate of Valhalla, Yamata no Orochi, demanded a sacrifice of Windbloom's royal blood. What he desired lay beyond that damn gate!

_And to think I was careless enough to let the only chance slip through my fingers! _

Nagi so wanted to cry.

_No matter._ He had always been a very lucky man. If Fortune was on his side this time too, the princess would turn up sooner or later. Knowing that self-righteous princess, if she was not dead, it was only a matter of time before she showed her face in Windbloom.

* * *

One might have once described Haruka Armitage's feeling toward the Princess of Windbloom to be one-sided disdain, but it had now plummeted to a deep sense of loathing after the supposed "kidnapping" charade. Just what exactly was wrong with that woman? She bet that wishy-washy rich brat was only missing because she ran away from her responsibilities to have fun in gods know where. It was true that the rebel group she belonged to had attempted to assassinate the princess a dozen times before, but still, it was down right disgusting that the Court of Windbloom would blame them for the kidnapping that never happened.

"We're almost there." Haruka said to the figure clad in a thick moss-green winter cloak who was trailing slightly behind her. The hood of the cloak covered most of the person's face, but Haruka could make out a small nod from that person. Trekking on foot in snow-covered mountain trails in the dead of winter was not the most pleasant mode of transportation. "Hang in there, Yukino. I can see the checkpoint already." the blonde said, and she offered an arm for her companion to hold onto.

Yukino couldn't help but wince when her gloved hand grabbed onto Haruka's arm. The metal plating on her bodyguard's gauntlet was sucking away the little warmth her fingers still retained. She didn't expect it to be so cold in the mountainous region of Windbloom.

The large reward money put on the missing princess had caused them a whole lot of grief because it was stated on the bounty posters, which had been plastered all over Windbloom, that Aries was responsible for the kidnapping. During the few days since the princess had gone missing, their group had been assaulted numerous times by bounty hunters. That was why they were travelling in such foul weather – they couldn't afford to be arrested now, not yet, not while they were so close to completing their mission.

Shizuru Viola must die.

* * *

"You haven't answered my questions yet," Shizuru said to the stoic leader of Garderobe, who was riding on a black stallion a few paced ahead of her white mare. The thick layer of snow underneath their mounts' hooves together with her aloof companion made their journey through the woodland a rather silent one. Not getting a reply from Natsuki, Shizuru urged the mare forward and asked again. "What was the 'linking' you spoke of?"

"I thought I told you already," Natsuki said without looking in the princess's direction. "It doesn't concern you."

Shizuru feigned a hurt look and pouted. "Natsuki is so cold. Hmm, since you won't answer this question, answer my other question: was it your wolf that saved me in Windbloom?"

Natsuki's eyebrows twitched, forming a small frown on her face. "You could say that." she said, unwilling to waste one more breath on correcting the princess' false assumption.

The princess pressed on. "And why would you do that?"

Natsuki thought for a moment before giving the princess a sideway glance, "Because I felt like it." she replied simply. It wasn't so far from the truth.

"Ara, I see." Shizuru chuckled lightly at the younger girl's answer. "Was that also the reason why you offered to escort me to Annam? Because you 'felt like it'?"

"Exactly." Natsuki answered with a half grin on her face. "You know, you sure ask a lot of questions."

"Only because you've managed to dodge most of them. You've never really answered..."

"Whoa!" Natsuki suddenly halted her horse's gait from a trot to a full stop. The white mare Shizuru was riding followed Natsuki's command and stopped as well. "Shhh... Quiet." Shizuru watched as the leader of Garderobe closed her eyes with her head tilted, as if she was listening intently for something.

"Battle." Natsuki opened her eyes. The small frown between her brows had grown into a tight knot. "I can smell blood too. Sit tight. I'll be right back." Having said that, she nimbly dismounted from her horse and bolted into the thicket before Shizuru could do anything to stop her.

* * *

"Gutless cowards! Eat this!" Haruka hurled a massive chained mace made of pure steel over her head and whipped it around violently while holding onto the chain with both hands. The dead weight of her clumsy weapon crushed through her opponent's armoured torso as if it were made of paper. Letting out a furious roar, the blonde yanked hard on the chain and the mace flew off like a bolt of lightning and smashed apart another opponent's full helmet. "You don't mess with a Paladin of Suzushiro!"

_Black standard._ Natsuki sat on a high branch and observed the battle between a mace-wielding blonde and a group of soldiers in black armour from afar. _And with the purple seal of Schwartz. They are Nagi Dai Artai's men. Why are they fighting that paladin?_ she thought.

"Paladin of Suzushiro? Ha! What a big joke." The leader of the soldiers, a man clad in black cape and tanned leather armour, said with a sneer. "All shall kneel before a Battle Mage of Schwartz! Fire Ball!" He shouted as he threw the ball of flame in Haruka's direction.

The blonde easily neutralized the attack with a backhand slap. The fireball didn't even leave a scorch mark on her metal gauntlet before it was extinguished by the snow matting the forest floor. "Battle Mage my ass! Prepared to be whipped, Nagi's dog." she yelled, twirling the chain mace around before letting her weapon fly at her opponent's face.

"What a simpleton. You charge like a bull." The mage dodged the attack and grabbed on to the chain. With a sadistic smile on his face, he chanted, "Lightning Bolt!"

Blue arches of energy travelled through the metal chain and shocked the paladin with a series of ominous crackling sounds. The mage laughed as smoke rose from the blonde's body. "Fool!" he said. "That should teach you not to look down on a Battle Mage of Schwartz, woman. We are strong now, and we shall be invincible once Grand Duke obtain the power of the Cursed Obsidian."

"You are strong?" The paladin slowly raised her head, her hair was curlier than usual because of the electric shock. "What was that? It didn't even tickle." She grinned at the mage's horror stricken face and taunted, "Was that the best you can do?"

"Lightning Bolt! Lightning Bolt! LIGHTNING BOLT!" The mage grabbed on to the chain with both hands and invoked the attack spell a few more times. Unfortunately for him, they didn't seem to faze the blonde at all. "What y'all waiting for? Attack! Attack!" he ordered his men in panic. To his horror, he then realized that he was the last man standing. All his underlings had either been put down by the paladin, or had run away.

"That's why I said they were gutless cowards. And you, you talk too much. Didn't Nagi warn you not to babble about the Cursed Obsidian? It's supposed to be a secret worth more than the Princess of Windbloom's life, you know. Hmph, it doesn't matter. Either way, your life is forgery now." Haruka shook her head and retrieved her weapon with one hard yank. She caught the chain mace easily with a hand.

Not too far away from where the battle took place, Yukino poked her head out from behind a tree and yelled, "It's 'forfeit', not 'forgery'."

Haruka yelled back with a dark blush, "It's not safe yet. Don't come out until I say so!" She glared at the mage and declared with a booming voice, "Your life is FORFEIT, you hear me? Forfeit! Now die! Dynamite Crusher!" Her mace once again flew out at the mage. However, this time her opponent wasn't blown away when the dust and snow settled after the loud bang.

Standing between the paladin and the battle mage was a raven-haired girl, who caught the deadly mace in one hand and the mage's neck in another. "You are going to tell me everything you know about the Cursed Obsidian," Natsuki demanded coolly. "Or, I can kill you both. That includes the girl hiding behind that tree. Someone had better start talking now before I lose my patience."

TBC

* * *

Author's Notes:

1. Yamata no Orochi (八俣大蛇) is an eight-headed serpent from Japanese mythology.

2. I finally finished outlining this story. Took me forever. :D Round of applause to Dr. Leebot for his wonderful beta job!


End file.
